GSOC operates the Columbus Control Center (Col-CC) for the European Columbus laboratory. Col-CC controls the subsystems of the space segment like the power, thermal and environmental control subsystem and the Columbus data management system. The Columbus Control Center at GSOC is also responsible for the operation and maintenance of the ground infrastructure and ground communication system. An additional task is the planning and the support of the User Support and Operations Centers (USOCs) in operating the payloads in Columbus.
The Col-CC closely cooperates with the User Support and Operations Centers (USOCs) in 9 European countries, the Engineering Support Centers (ESTs) in Bremen and Turin as well as the control centers of the International Partners at the Johnson Spaceflight Center (JSC) in Houston, Texas, at the Marshall Spaceflight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville, Alabama, at the ZUP (Zentr Upravlenija Poljotami, Flight Control Center) in Moscow and at the Space Station Integration and Promotion Center (SSIPC) in Tsukuba (Japan).
The Space Shuttle transported the Columbus module to the International Space Station (ISS) where it was mounted to the node #2 module. The power needed for operations is supplied from four big station solar cell assemblies. The generated heat in the module is transported via a water-cooling system to the radiators installed on the main truss of the space station.
Columbus module(Credit: NASA)